


It Really Shouldn't Be This Hard

by studythenmarvel



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: #fydlexchange, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-02-13
Packaged: 2018-05-20 01:52:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5988079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/studythenmarvel/pseuds/studythenmarvel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kate looks at Darcy incredulously, “You can’t honestly think I like Wanda, right?”</p>
<p>Her eyes widen and she lets go of Kate’s hand, “What do you mean? Of course you like Wanda! You told Clint you did!” Darcy voices this... loudly. </p>
<p>Clint happens to be skating by and heard. He comes to a stop at Darcy’s words, “You did?” He asks Kate, confused. </p>
<p>Kate shakes her head, “No! I told you I like Darcy!” She points at Darcy. “Did you tell Darcy I liked Wanda? Are you the reason I’ve been spending the past two months trying to work up the courage to tell Darcy how I feel, only to have it interrupted by it being turned into a group outing and. Evil. Robot. Squirrel. Armies?!” Kate asks, poking his chest, hard, at the beginning of the last four words.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Really Shouldn't Be This Hard

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Reallife](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reallife/gifts).



> This fic is a gift for @awkwardnormalcy, part of the Galentine's Day fydlexchange.   
> The ship I picked is Darcy Lewis/Kate Bishop.   
> The main tropes I used are "I've been trying to ask you on a date but you keep misunderstanding and making it a group out with our friends" and "You think I'm hanging around because I like your friend _____ but really it's you."   
> Tropes that make a 'blink and you'll miss it' appearance are "You keep cooking/crocheting/knitting me gifts and I can't handle it" and "I keep trying to ask you out on date but chickening out and now our friend have a betting pool."  
> This was a huge writing challenge for me, but so worth it. I hope i did it justice!

Darcy is in the kitchen dishing out chicken noodle soup for Team Science! to eat for lunch, when it all goes wrong.

“Kate, what’s wrong?” Darcy hears a muffled voice ask. The voice was coming from the living room adjoining the kitchen. Thinking maybe she could help, she starts to walk towards the living room.

“I have a problem, Clint. A problem dealing with a girl.” These words make Darcy freeze. Darcy didn’t know Kate liked anyone.

“What’s the problem?” Clint asks her, suddenly sounding serious. There’s a bit noise, like someone is moving.

“I like this girl... She’s older than me though. I’m concerned that she won’t see me as her equal, because I’m younger than her, and not just by months, but _years_ Clint. And she lives and works here. If I were to ever move in, would that be too close for comfort? I mean… I like her a lot, okay? She’s sweet and-“

Clint interrupts her, “Kate. Take a breath, okay? I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think. Invite her out for drinks, or if that’s too bold, invite her out with a group of people….”

Darcy doesn’t hear the rest of the conversation. She is too busy running away. She couldn’t believe that Kate liked someone. I mean, it made sense, Kate was a young female, and she was attractive, like, super attractive, so why wouldn’t she want to be involved with someone?

The real question is who this mystery someone is and how Darcy can get the two together. Okay, Kate said it was a girl, duh. And she’s older by years. She also lives here, in the tower.

Who is a girl, older than Kate by years, and lives in the Tower? Natasha? No, she’s with Clint, Kate would never do that. Same with Jane and Pepper. Really, the only options are Maria Hill and Wanda. But, Kate hates everything Maria stands for, so, it’s gotta be Wanda.

Kate likes Wanda and Darcy will do everything in her power to make sure they get together and live happily ever after. For Kate. She will do this for Kate.

* * *

 

 “Hey.” A familiar voice calls out from behind Darcy. Darcy’s stomach drops a bit.

“What brings you to the mad scientist’s lair, Katie?” Darcy asks, smiling sweetly.

Kate’s dimple stands out as she smiles, “When’s your break?”

Darcy looks at her phone and sees the time, “An hour ago. Why?”

Kate’s face falls a little bit, “I was hoping we could go out for lunch date and maybe drinks.”

“While I would love to, I mean day drinking with you is the best, the absolute best, I cannot. I need to finish typing up the Boss Lady’s notes.” Darcy gestures to the one inch pile stacked on her desk.

“Oh. Okay.” Kate tries her best not to sound disappointed.

Darcy smiles brightly, hating that look on her face, “But, hey! We could totally go out tomorrow! I mean, if the offer still stands.”

“That’d be great. Tomorrow. I’ll meet you here on your lunch break?” Kate asks as she picks up a few balls of paper from the floor and throws them away.

“Yup! Sounds good Katie.” Kate’s stomach flutters a bit at Darcy’s smile.

“Great. Awesome. Tomorrow.” Kate says, walking backward toward the door.

“Hey, Bishop!” A male voice yells from the other side of the lab. Kate turns around and sees Tony waving her over. Kate sighs wearily and walks over.

“Yes?” Kate asks, hesitant.

“What do you think of this?” Tony gestures to the screen in front of them. It looks like an apartment layout… with lots of purple.

“It’s… cool?” Kate answers, very confused.

“Do you _like_ it?” Tony questions, not at all happy with her response.

“Sure. I mean, it looks like a cool layout. For an apartment, right?” Kate ask him.

“Yes. Is there anything you would change?” Tony almost knows for sure she wouldn’t, because _he_ designed it.

“It’s very purple. Maybe make purple the accent color and black the main?” She suggests. Tony glares at her for a second before looking back at the layout, which he also glares at. He pushes a few buttons and the colors switch around.

Kate tilts her head, “Maybe make the walls while? With the bottom half purple. Oh, and black trim.” Tony sighs exasperated, but makes the changes.

“Now?” He glares, daring her to change something else.

Kate, unaffected by his glare, looks at the screen again, “Nope. Looks good to me. What’s it for?”

“Someone is moving into the tower. This is their floor design.” Tony explains, saving the design.

“Jarvis, send the blueprints off to the builders and the designs off to the designers.” Tony commands, rolling away on his stool to a table that has a metal arm on it.

“Okay…” Kate says, watching Tony start to tinker. She shakes her head and heads for the door.

“Hey, Bishop!” Tony yells after her.

‘What?!” Kate yells back, turning around.

“Your apartment should be ready in two weeks! Sixty-Eighth floor. You’re sharing with Darcy!” He yells after her, turning back to the table.

Kate stands there, shocked. Honestly? It’s Tony. She reminds herself. She really _shouldn’t_ be shocked. She shrugs and walks out of the lab.

* * *

 

The next day, Kate heads to the lab, determined to keep her date with Darcy. A real date. With Darcy. Who she has been crushing on for forever. She was excited. She was also nervous, but Kate decidedly ignores that. When she gets to the lab, she looks through the windows and sees that Darcy is talking to someone.

“Darcy. Please tell me you didn’t forget our date.” Kate says as she walks into the lab.

Darcy laughs, its high pitched, like she’s nervous.

“Me. Forget a date? Never.” Darcy looks at Kate solemnly. Kate rolls her eyes and looks at who Darcy was talking to.

“Oh. Hey, Wanda! What brings you here?” Kate asks her, trying to not sound rude.

Wanda frowns and replies, “Darcy said-“

“Wanda is going to join us for our girls’ day!” Darcy cuts Wanda off, “I know you wanted it to be lunch and drinks, but let’s be honest. Day drinking and I do not mix well. I always end up a bit too tipsy. So, I figured we could just make it an all-day thing.”

Kate looks between Wanda and Darcy suspiciously, “Okay…”

Darcy smiles brightly, “This means you and Wanda can get to know each other better. I know you two haven’t really had the chance.”

Kate smiles, despite feeling disappointed. Darcy is so cute, being worried about her.

“That’s really thoughtful. Well, you girls ready to go?” Kate asks, gesturing toward the door.

“Yes. Let us go.” Wanda says, heading for the door and Kate follows her.

“Let me grab my coat!” Darcy calls after them.

Kate looks at Wanda and rolls her eyes, “She’s always forgetting things.”

“I would try to defend myself, but it’s totally true.” Darcy tells them, coat in hand.

“Let’s go, you goofus.” Kate says, feeling fond.

“Who’re you calling a goofus?” Darcy feigns offense.

* * *

 

When they get to the usual restaurant (a dive bar, really), Darcy immediately orders a round of drinks and excuses herself to the bathroom.

Wanda and Kate sit at the large booth that is always reserved for the Avengers.

“So… You and Darcy?” Kate attempts nonchalant.

“Darcy is a good friend, yes? She has tried very hard to make me feel comfortable.” Wanda explains, “I am very grateful for her kindness.”

Kate smiles, “Yeah, Darcy is like that. She has to make sure her people are good.”

“You are part of her people?” Wanda asks.

“Yup. Just like you are… now.” Kate says.

“But, you want more than friendship?” Wanda questions, curious.

Kate chokes on her drink a bit. Coughing, she nods.

“I would love to me more than friends with Darcy. I’m not so sure about her though.”

“She wants to make sure you know me better. That means she worries about you, yes?” Wanda says, taking a sip of her drink.

Kate shakes her head, “Darcy worries about everyone. That’s nothing special.”

Wanda looks like she doesn’t quite agree, but stays quiet.

“So, whatcha ladies gossiping about?” A familiar voice asks, sliding into the booth, causing Kate and Wanda to startle.

“Tony.” Kate states, looking at him.

“Bishop. Wanda.” Tony replies.

“Clint.” Another voice says.

The three look at him.

“What? I thought we were all saying names.” Clint defends.

“Okay, Donkey. Why don’t we all sit down?” Steve suggests, sliding into the both next to Tony and rolling his eyes.

Pepper, Natasha, and Clint wait for Kate to scoot the edge and for everybody to slide down before they get in.

“What are you guys doing here?” Kate demands, glaring at Tony.

“Is no one going to mention that Steve knows about Shrek?” Clint says to no one in particular.

“Shut up, Clint.” Natasha, Pepper, and Kate say at the same time; Natasha actually physically hitting the back of his head.

Clint rubs his head and pouts, “Fine.” He slides further down in his seat.

“Why is Clint pouting? Better yet, why is Clint even here? Why are any of you here?” Darcy asks. They all look at her and see she is not pleased.

“Well?” She crosses her arms and glares at Tony.

“Why are you looking at me?” He asks her. “Why is she looking at me?” He asks Steve.

Pepper and Natasha roll their eyes, “Clint and Tony insisted that we go out for drinks, to celebrate. “ Natasha offered.

“Celebrate what?” Kate asks, suspicious.

Clint looks a bit guilty and shares a look with Tony, “Well… I just thought… I don’t know… I mean… We’ve been waiting for this night for a while, you know? Why not celebrate it?”

Darcy looks unimpressed. Kate looks even more confused.

“When you talk, do you hear it? Or is it just a big roaring in your ear?” Darcy questions, sarcastic.

Clint glares, “Hannah Montana quote? Low blow, Darce. Low blow.”

Pepper clears her throat, “She’s not wrong. Nothing you just said makes any sense.”

“I think,” Tony interrupts, “what Clint is trying to say, is that we have been waiting for Bishop to _move in to the tower for ages_. _Right, Clint?”_ Tony emphasizes.

Clint looks at Tony confused, until Tony kicks him under the table, “Yes! Of course. I’ve been trying to convince you to move in for forever, Katie Bug.”

Kate rolls her eyes at the nickname, “Don’t call me that.”

“You’re moving into the tower?” Darcy asks, a combination of happy and hurt. Kate is her best friend, isn’t she supposed to tell her these things?

Kate smiles wide and grabs Darcy’s hand, pulling her down to sit, “I was going to tell you tonight.”

Darcy nods and smiles, “Oh, okay.” Darcy is happy Kate’s moving in, because that means she doesn’t have to be around her dad as often. The fact that Kate will be around more is an obvious bonus. Kate will be able to be around Wanda more too; Darcy isn’t quite sure how she feels about that.

“Brighten up, Short Stack. You and Bishop are going to be roomies.” Tony tells Darcy, wiggling his eyebrows.

Darcy blushes a little, “Same floor?”

“Yup.” Tony says, popping the ‘p’. That makes Darcy a lot happier.

“Well, that’s cool!” Darcy says. She remembers that her whole point tonight is to set up Kate and Wanda and asks, “Hey, Wanda. You’re on the floor below me, right?”

“Yes. I believe so.” Wanda replies, politely.

“That’s so cool! You could help Kate get a feel of the tower, seeing as you both are recent additions.” Darcy smiles a bit too brightly, trying to compensate for the ache in her gut at the suggestion. She knows Kate practically lives in the tower, as it is, but she wants Kate to be able to spend time with her crush.

Kate and Wanda exchange a confused look, “Sure, Darce…” Kate trails off.

Darcy grabs her beer of the table and chugs it down, “Does anyone want another round? I’ll go get us all another round.” She exclaims, hurrying from the table.

“Ummm… Am I the only one who thinks Lewis is acting a bit weird?” Stark questions.

Pepper rolls her eyes and smacks his head, “Tony.” She scolds.

“What? It’s-.” Tony starts to defend.

“Shut up, Stark.” Natasha commands.

* * *

 

Kate is excited about today. She is also dreading today. Actually, she has no idea how she feels about today. She’s just turning Twenty-Two. It’s not that big of a deal, really. She was legal all around already, so no major milestones to celebrate. That doesn’t mean Tony isn’t throwing her a huge party, because he is; even though she explicitly told him not to. Multiple times. You can’t tell Tony Stark what to do. Unless you’re Pepper or Darcy, those two work magic. Natasha even has a difficult time getting him to listen sometimes.

Kate heads up to the common kitchen area, bracing herself for the inevitable onslaught of birthday wishes. As soon as the elevator doors open, the smell of bacon and French toast are overwhelming. Suddenly, this day doesn’t seem so horrible.

“Happy Birthday, Kate!” Clint shouts, a bit too enthusiastic, while dropping from a vent above her. Kate jumps a bit. She rolls her eyes, but gives him a hug.

“Thanks, Clint.” She smiles and kisses his cheeks.

“Hey Darcy, can you have Friday let me know when all this is ready?” Clint asks her, pulling himself back into the vent.

Darcy turns around and rolls her eyes, “Yes, Clint. I’ll have Friday page you, along with the others.” The vent is closed by the time she finishes speaking.

“Happy birthday, Kate.” Darcy turns to Kate and says, standing in front of the griddle.

“Oooh! Is that French toast?” Kate asks excitedly.

Darcy smiles wide at her, “You’re favorite.”

“With plum syrup?” Kate demands, heading towards Darcy.

Darcy wrinkles her nose and laughs, “Even though it’s disgusting, yes, I am making yours with plum syrup.”

Kate laughs and hugs Darcy from behind her hands clasped on Darcy’s abdomen, “You are the best. I love you.” The words are muffled by Darcy’s sweater, but she hears them.

Darcy’s heart stutters and she starts to blush. She has to remind herself that Kate does _not_ love her like _that_.

“Awe, you only love me for my cooking skills.” Darcy complains, no real anger in her voice.

Kate snorts, “That’s not true. You make amazing Mexican Hot Chocolate cupcakes.”

Darcy let’s out a short laugh and slaps Kate’s hands. Kate steps back to give her room.

“If you don’t get out of my way and sit down, there will be no cupcakes for you later.” Darcy threatens.

Kate laughs and heads for the table; content to talk to Darcy as she cooks.

* * *

 

Darcy finds Kate at the shooting range later in the day.

“Hey Kate, you have a minute?” Darcy asks her. Kate puts her bow down and calls the target back to her.

“For you, Darce? Always.” Kate tells her, pulling the arrows out of the target.

“I wanted to give you your birthday presents.” Darcy explains, holing up two packages wrapped in Avenger themed wrapping paper.

Kate laughs when she sees the paper, “They even have Hawkeye on there. That’s impressive.” She walks out of the range with Darcy and they head for their floor.

“I know! Do you realize the amount of searching I had Friday do? It took her two days. TWO. The AI that has access to just about everything.” Darcy expresses, talking with her hands.

Kate laughs, “Well, at least she found it.” They made it to their floor and through the door to Kate’s apartment.

They walk into the kitchen, and Kate tosses her a bottle of water from the fridge.

“So what’d you get me?” Kate asks, chugging down her bottle.

Darcy shakes her head, “Nuh uh. You have to open them.”

Kate shrugs and leadd the way into her living room. Kate looks at Darcy as they sit down on the couch.

“Well, let me see them!” Kate demands, giddy. Darcy smiles at her and hands them to her.

There were two boxes, one long and skinny, the other square and wide. Kate rips into the skinny one first. Who tries to save wrapping paper anyway?

Her eyes widen when she sees the knitted scarf. It was black with small purple arrow rows in a pattern.

“This is beautiful, Darcy.” Kate voices as she lifts it out of the box and runs her hand along it, “It’s so soft.” She whispers.

Darcy smiles, “Open the other one!” She commands, laughing.

Kate quickly does so. In it are purple fingerless gloves with black arrows and stripes. She laughs and puts them on immediately.

“They go together. I thought they’d be perfect since winter is so close.” Darcy explains, grabbing the scarf and wrapping it around Kate’s neck.

Kate smiles widely at Darcy and leans in to kiss her cheek.

“I love them. Thank you.” Kate tells her, looking serious. Darcy’s face is flushed, but she looks happy.

* * *

 

“You look beautiful, Kate.” Darcy compliments as she hugs her. Kate starts to blush, but she quickly tampers it downs and wraps her arms around Darcy to return the hug.

Sighing Kate pulls back to get a look at Darcy, “You- You look… gorgeous.” Kate stutters, noticing how Darcy’s black dress hugs her curves and shows off her ample cleavage. Darcy blushes and look down at her dress.

“Natasha picked it out. I wasn’t sure at first, because of how tight it is…” Darcy trails off, shrugging.

Kate snorts and shakes her head, “Darcy, you have the curves every woman dreams of having and holding.” She blushes a little when she realizes what she just said.

“Holding?” Darcy flushes more and inquires.

Kate takes a deep breath and nods, “Of course. Every man and woman has dreamt about holding those curves.”  Darcy’s eyes widen.

“Oh. Does that mean-.” Darcy is cut off by feedback from a microphone.

“Is this working? Test. Test. Okay, good.” Tony speaks into the microphone from the stage, “Ladies and Gentlemen.” He sends the crowd a dazzling smile, “I want to thank all of you for coming tonight. If you don’t mind, I think it’s time to invite the birthday girl up!” Darcy smiles at Kate’s blush and pushes her towards the stage.

“Go. Get the embarrassment over.” She whispers with mirth in her eyes

Kate glares at her, “Fine, but you have to ditch with me in an hour. We’ll go bowling, like I originally wanted. Meet me in the lobby.”

Darcy laughs and nods, “Okay. You got it. It’s a date.” Kate smiles widely as her amusement.

“A date.” Kate mumbles, walking to the stage.

* * *

 

The hour seemed to last much longer then it should’ve. Kate is ready to ditch the rich and snobby for bowling with the woman she loves. She takes the stairs down two floors, to prevent being stopped by anyone hanging around the elevator, before she rides down the rest of the way in the elevator.

When the doors open she has her heels in her hand is rubbing her aching feel. Her eyes immediately fall onto Darcy’s dress-less back, feeling a ping in her gut at the low-cut back.

She starts to walk over to her and falters when she sees Darcy talking to Wanda. Wanda sees Kate and smiles at her over Darcy’s shoulder.

Darcy turns around to see what Wanda is looking at. Her face breaks out into a grin when she sees Kate.

She nods to Kate’s sore feet and holds up a pair of black flats, “I stopped by your apartment and grabbed these for you.”

Kate smiles in relief and take the shoes, “You are a goddess among men, Darce.” Darcy laughs and leads Kate to a chair, so she can out hpr shoes on.

“I think you have me mistaken for Sif, Kate.” Kate shakes her head and puts the shoes on. She looks Darcy up and down, seeing she also replaced her heels with flats.

“Nope, you are definitely a goddess.” She insists, nodding her head decidedly. Darcy shakes her head in disbelief, but doesn’t argue.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I invited Wanda to come along.” Darcy states, helping Kate up. Kate frowns a bit and looks at Wanda curiously.

“No, that’s okay…” She trails off, unsure.

Wanda smiles sheepishly, “I told Darcy I don’t know what this bowling is and she insists I come. I was not given much of a choice.” Kate nods at the explanation, because, yeah, that sounds like Darcy.

‘”It’s a crime against humanity, I tell you. ‘What is this bowling?’ How can one not know what bowling is. It’s in movies. It’s in video games. There are even BANDS with bowling in their names and songs!” Darcy rants as the three walk out of the building and get into a cab.

Kate and Wanda share a look and laugh.

“Hey! On the bright side, you two can get to know each other better!” Darcy states, sly. Kate frowns and looks at Wanda in confusion. Something is up with Darcy; they both agree with that.

* * *

 

Kate is determined to get to the bottom of Darcy’s odd behavior. First steps is to find Wanda, because Wanda seems to _always_ be around. She asked Friday where she was and apparently, Wanda hanging out with Vision is common. So here she is, headed for Wanda’s quarters. Kate considers having Friday announce her presence, but she decides to knock instead.

Wanda opens the door and asks, “Kate. You wish to talk about Darcy?” Kate’s eyes widen and her mouth drops open.

“How did-?” Kate falters, then finds her thoughts, “You know what? I don’t want to know. Yes. I want to talk about Darcy.”

Wanda laughs a little and lets Kate in.

“Vision is just leaving. He had some questions about culture.”  Wanda explains as they walk into the living room.

Kate stumbles when she see’s Vision, as she always does. Because dude was a flying Crayola’s box. She smiles at Vision apologetically.

“It is fine, Miss Bishop. I understand my form can be a little unsettling.” Jarvis’ voice coming from Vision would forever mess her up.

“I’ll get used to it, eventually. I promise. Maybe if we hung out more it’d help?” Kate suggests, trying to make an effort.

Vision nods reverently, “I would be delighted to ‘hang out’ with you Miss Bishop.” Kate giggles at the diplomacy of the whole thing.

“Thanks, Vision. Catch you later?” Wanda asks, pushing him towards the door.

“Catch me? How do you wish to catch me?” Vision questions, now standing in the hallway. Wanda shakes her head and shut the door.

“Later, Vision! Later!” She yell through the door.

Kate shakes her head, laughing hysterically.

“You two are so cute.” She tells Wanda, wiping her eyes.

Wanda smiles wistfully as they both sit on the couch, “Yes, we could be. If only he’d understand that I wish to be his lover, not just his friend.”

Kate sobers up and nods, “Yes. I totally get that. I’ve been trying to tell Darcy for ages. Every time I ask her out, though, she makes it into a group thing. That’s actually why I wanted to talk to you.”

Wanda grimaces and nods her head, “Yes. I have noticed this too. It seems she is determined for me to always be involved.”

Kate sit forwards and frowns, “But, why? Why would Darcy try to make sure we ‘get to know each other better’? It’s almost like she’s trying to set us up.” Kate ponders.

Wanda makes a noise of agreement and stares off into space, like she is thinking.

“Oh my god. I can’t believe I didn’t realize it until now!” Kate cries, startling Wanda, “She’s trying to set us up!”

Wanda’s mouth falls open, but she nods.

“Yes. I can see how this could be that.”

Kate covers her face with her hand and groans. “She is so clueless.” She mumbles into her hands.

Wanda laughs, “Well, yes. This is Darcy we are talking about. The question is, what are we going to do?”

Kate looks up from her hand and stares at Wanda, “I don’t know? Give up?”

Wanda smacks the back of Kate’s head, “No!” She yells, “You will not give up. You and Darcy deserve to be happy. You will be happy with each other.”

Kate rubs the back of her head, but nods sheepishly.

“Okay… So, what do we do?” She questions, at a loss.

Wanda thinks for a minute before she nods, “You will ask Darcy out on a date. If she asks me, I will decline, and you two will have an evening together. You must tell her how you feel, otherwise she will not stop.” Wanda looks straight into Kate’s eyes, conveying that she has no room for nonsense.

Kate nods quickly, “That sounds good. Well, I’ll get to asking her and see how it goes.” Kate stands up and heads for the door.

She stops halfway there and turns around to look at Wanda, embarrassed, “Sorry. I should say thank you.” She walks back to Wanda and wraps her in a friendly hug, “Thank you, Wanda.”

Wanda laughs and hugs her back, “You are welcome, Kate. The lives we live would not be worth living without love. Let's get you the woman you love.”

* * *

 

The first couple steps of the plan went off without a hitch. Kate asks Darcy to dinner and a movie? Check. Darcy says yes? Check. Darcy asks Wanda and Wanda declines? Check. Kate and Darcy attend a showing of _“The Blob?”_ Check. They go out for dinner at an outrageously greasy diner? Check. Kate tells Darcy how she feels? Well, she’s working on it.

“I had a lot of fun tonight, Darcy. Thank you for coming with me.” Kate tells her and takes a sip of her strawberry milkshake. Darcy smiles around a big bite of her burger.

“Thank _you_ , Kate. This food is amazing,” Darcy says after she swallows her food, “and the movie? I love cliché scary movies, especially older ones.” Darcy smiles big and pats Kate’s hand.

Kate’s stomach flutters a bit at that smile. She smiles back and grabs Darcy’s hand. Darcy looks at her, curious.

“Darcy… I want to talk to you about something.” Kate starts off nervous.

Darcy looks a bit worried, but smiles at her encouragingly.

“It’s just… I‘m a bit nervous and I’m trying not to mess this up.” Kate sighs and steels herself.

“Darcy-.” Screams from the passerby’s on the street interrupt Kate’s confession. Kate slumps and sighs. Of course something would happen at this moment.

Darcy looks out the window with wide eyes, tightening her grip on Kate’s hand.

“I think you should go out there.” Darcy tells her when she turns to look at her.

Kate nods and just when she opens her mouth to speak, her phone rings.

“What’s the deal?” Kate asks as she stands up and pulls Darcy with her.

_“There is an army of robot… squirrels? Let’s go with squirrels. They are about three blocks from your location. Meet us there?”_ Darcy hears Clint say, when she puts her ear next to Kate’s.

Kate nods, grabbing a miniaturized bow and quiver set from her purse, “Yeah. Sure. But, I need an evac for Darcy.” Darcy starts to protest and Kate cuts her off with a look, “I’m not leaving her here without a proper guard or an escort back to the tower.”

_“Understood. Thor is almost there, he’ll take Darcy back to the tower. See you in two, Kate.”_ Darcy continues to glare at Kate when she hangs up.

“Don’t even start, Darcy Lewis. We can talk about this later, AFTER the robot squirrel army is taken care of.” Kate commands, pressing a button on the bow and quiver, causing them to grow in size. Darcy hadn’t realized that Kate had led them to the bathroom, nor that she had already changed into her Hawkeye uniform.

“How is that even possible? How did you change so fast?” Darcy demands, looking at her shocked. Kate snorts and shakes her head.

A loud thump is heard from outside the diner and Kate drags Darcy out to the doors.

“Get her back to the tower. Now.” Kate commands Thor, turning to look at the destruction the robots are causing.

“I shall, Lady Kate. Your Lady Darcy will be safe.” Thor promises, wrapping his arm around Darcy and taking off. Darcy yelps slightly, shocked, but ultimately cuddles into Thor more.

* * *

 

Kate is officially done. She wanted Darcy and she was going to get her, even if she had to call in the big guns. The lunch date she scheduled with Natasha, Pepper, and Wanda went great. They came up with a plan and they were ready to execute it.

Kate has two jobs, the first one is to invite Darcy to go skating. Darcy would, obviously, invite Wanda. Kate’s second job, is to hint to Vision that Wanda wanted to be _more_ than friends, and get him to make a move.

Wanda also had two jobs, Wanda is to invite Steve, Bucky, and Vision to come along. She has also been given orders to corner Vision and just kiss him if he doesn’t do so first.

Natasha will then get Bucky to invite her, and she will invite Clint and Pepper.

Pepper’s two tasks. First, she is going to rent out the whole skating rink for that night, turning it into a private venue. Her second task is to invite Tony in front of Bruce and Jane. And Jane, of course, will invite Thor.

This whole scheme, if it goes as planned, will turn what is supposed to be a “date” between Darcy and Kate (and Wanda) into a night of fun for the whole Avengers family. Kate is determined to make sure the night ends with Darcy having knowledge of her feelings and, hopefully, said feelings being requited.

* * *

 

 Darcy is bouncing with excitement in the car.

“Someone is a little excited.” Steve remarks, a smile on his face.

“That’s what she said!” Tony and Clint both yell. They look at each other and fist bump; Natasha and Pepper slap them across the back of the head.

“You guys are so immature.” Steve mumbles, rolling his eyes.

“Of course I’m excited!” Darcy exclaims, throwing her arms out in front of her.

“Yes. We get that you are excited. The question is _why?_ ” Clint asks her.

While Darcy is excited, she also feels a bit guilty because her whole goal for tonight was to finally get Kate and Wanda together. The fact that all the Avengers and Co. have come along for the ride… Well, it complicates things. Darcy also happens to be sad. Really sad. Because, as much as she wants Kate to be happy, she wishes it could be with her, not Wanda. That doesn’t mean Darcy didn’t have a plan for tonight, though. Her original plan of ditching the two with an “emergency” excuse won’t cut it, though. She’s going to have to come up with something on the spot.

“I _love_ to roller skate, Clint. I only ever got to on special occasions when I was a kid, so whenever I can, I do so with enthusiasm.” Darcy explains to him, rolling her eyes like it’s obvious.

Kate smiles at her enthusiasm and grabs her hand, “I’m glad you’re excited about something. Everyone needs excitement in their lives. And no, Clint. Saving the world does not count at excitement.” Kate stops Clint before he can voice his thought. He pouts a bit and leans into Natasha.

* * *

 

Kate is happy, very happy. Everything had gone according to plan so far, and she is hoping that is won’t be interrupted by another Avengers level emergency. If they can just make it to the rink without an accident or emergency, she will breathe easier.

* * *

 

The remaining duration of the drive to the skating rink gave Darcy a new perspective on the whole ordeal. This is a chance for her family to have a fun night off of world saving. They didn’t get many of those, even though they deserved a butt load. She looks around at her family, some of them are lacing up their skates and the others are already out on the floor.

Pepper and Tony are adorable, holding hands and skating like a pair of teenagers. Darcy sighs, because that right there? She wants that.

“Hey you. Get laced up and join me out there.” Kate commands her, rolling up and setting a pair of skates in Darcy’s size next to her.

Darcy looks up at her and smiles, “Yes, ma’am.” Kate shakes her head in amusement and watches Darcy as she puts on the skates.

“Hey, you okay?” Kate asks in concern and sits next to Darcy on the bench. Darcy stops tying her left skate and looks at Kate.

“What? Yeah. Yeah. I’m fine.” She smiles and nods. Kate doesn’t look too convinced but lets it go.

“Well, hurry up. I want to show off my amazing skating skills.” Kate gestures to Darcy’s feet.

Darcy laughs and quickly finishes lacing up.

“Alright, let’s go.” Darcy says, standing up and skating to the entrance to the floor. Kate follows her, trying to keep balanced.

* * *

 

After watching Kate fall three times in ten minutes, Darcy takes pity on her and grabs her arm, helping her balance.

“You’d think, with you being a superhero and all, you’d have better balance.” Darcy mutters in amusement.

Kate turns to glare at her, “Well, excuse me. I grew up as a Manhattan elite. We didn’t exactly care to go to these types of things.”

Darcy lets out a short laugh and smiles apologetically at Kate, “I’m sorry. I can’t even imagine.”

Kate sticks her tongue out at Darcy’s teasing. Darcy lets her go and turns around, skating backwards. She stumbles a little when she looks over Kate’s shoulder.

Kate slowly turns around to see what made Darcy react. Wanda and Vision are kissing. Well, at least Wanda has done her part of the plan.

“They’re cute, aren’t they?” Kate asks her, grabbing her hand.

Darcy feels really guilty, _because as much as she wants to be with Kate, she doesn’t want Kate to get hurt._

“Are you okay with this? I don’t want you to get hurt.” Darcy says, squeezing Kate’s hand and looking worried.  

Kate looks at Darcy incredulously, “You can’t honestly think I like Wanda, right?”

Darcy’s eyes widen and she lets go of Kate’s hand, “What do you mean? Of course you like Wanda! You told Clint you did!” Darcy voices, loudly.

Clint happens to be skating by and heard. He comes to a stop at Darcy’s words, “You did?” He asks Kate, confused.

Kate shakes her head, “No! I told you I like Darcy!” She points at Darcy. “Did you tell Darcy I liked Wanda? Are you the reason I’ve been spending the past two months trying to work up the courage to tell Darcy how I feel, only to have it interrupted by it being turned into a group outing and. Evil. Robot. Squirrel. Armies?!” Kate asks, poking his chest, hard, at the beginning of the last four words.

Clint pushes her hand away and rubs his chest, “No! First of all, I helped fight against those robot squirrel thingies, why would I create them? How could I create them? You know I struggle with my iPhone, let alone trying to program an army of evil robot squirrels. Second! I had fifty dollars on you and Darcy finally getting together like a month ago, so, why would I work against it?”

Kate glares at him and opens her mouth to yell at Clint some more.

“You like me?” A small voice asks.

Kate’s face pales a little as she turns to look at Darcy who is also pale and wide-eyed.

“Oh my god. Darcy. I-.” Kate is cut off by Darcy turning around and trying to run away.

Darcy, sweet beautiful Darcy, forgets that she is in roller skates. She falls back and her head hits the floor with a loud resounding thud. Everything seems to be standing still as they look at Darcy laying there, still.

When Kate comprehends what happened, she has never before moved so fast in her life, as she did in that moment getting to Darcy.

“Darcy?” Kate asks, reaching behind Darcy’s head to check for bleeding. She feels warmth and wetness and her hands start to shake when she sees the red on them. Two pair of hands land on her shoulder and pull her back, away from Darcy.

“Come on Kate, let Bruce look at her.” Bucky tells her. Kate nods and stands up with Bucky and Clint’s help, staring at Darcy, still in shock. She knows her breathing is becoming erratic. She knows she needs to control it. She can’t, though. The only thoughts going on in her head revolve around _Darcy, blood,_ and _not moving._ Suddenly arms wrap around her and pull her back into a chest.

“Kate. Kate. Kate, you need to breathe with me. Match my breathing.” Bucky commands, seeing a panic attack taking Kate.

Kate, try as she might, cannot do it. She feels the darkness coming before it actually gets there, and it takes her over no matter how hard she fights it.

* * *

 

Kate is annoyed. She hears the sound of consistent beeping, smells a horribly strong antiseptic in the air, and hears mummers of a conversation near her. Opening her eyes is not an easy thing to do, but eventually she can see the room she is in and realizes it’s the hospital wing at the tower. She wonders for a minute what stupid thing she did this time, then she remembers why she’s in there, or more importantly, what happened before she passed out.

She hears the mummers again and looks toward the door, where she can see Clint and Natasha talking with Bruce directly in front of the door and the rest of the Avengers sitting in the chairs along the wall. Clint looks annoyed, Natasha looks amused, and Bruce looks relieved. Something near Kate lets out a shrill rapid beep, startling her. Bruce looks into her room and seeing that she’s awake, says something to the others. Bruce is the only one that enters the room, and walks straight to the machine, turning it off.

“How are you feeling?” He asks her, looking at her with concerned eyes.

“Good. Tired, but good. Did I really pass out from a panic attack?” She asks, still a bit shocked at herself.

“Yes, you did. But, we didn’t even realize you were having one until you were too far gone, so don’t feel bad.” Bruce looked at another machine, wrote something down on his clipboard before turning to her and taking the pulse oximeter off her finger.

“You’ll be free to go as soon as you take off the patch on your head.” Bruce points to it, letting her know it’s there.

“Why do I have a patch on my head?” Kate questions, taking it off and staring at it like it’ll bite her.

Bruce chuckles softly and answers, “It measures the oxygen level in a person’s head. Clint insisted I make sure the blood was flowing up there.”

“Well, yeah. Can’t have my Katie-Kate more crazy then she already is, right?” Clint tries to joke, sauntering into the room and standing by her bed.

Kate rolls her eyes and looks at Bruce, “Is Darcy okay?”

Bruce smiles at her, “Darcy is going to be fine. She just had a small abrasion from where her head contacted the floor. Head wounds bleed a lot, making them look way worse than they actually are. You can go see her after you get out of here, but just for a little while. You need to rest up.”

Kate’s shoulders seem to relax in relief when she realizes Darcy is okay.

“Is she up yet?” Kate asks, sitting on the side of the bed, letting her legs hang off.

“Nope. I think she’s waiting for you.” Clint says, sitting next to her. Kate rolls her eyes at him, again, and bumps his shoulder with her own.

‘I’m glad you’re okay.” Clint puts his arm around her and pulls her close. Kate closes her eyes and smiles.

* * *

 

Kate has been waiting by Darcy’s bedside for five hours, and in those five hours she has woken up a total of three times.

The first time was to tell Kate to stop beeping and then she went back to sleep.

The second time was to complain about Jane and her Science! and how Jane needed to sleep, before falling back to sleep herself.

The third time was to grab Kate’s hand and mumble, “I love you.” Then promptly pass out.

That last one was about two hours ago and made Kate feel giddy… _giddy_!

Darcy’s eyes start to move a little and she opens them, looking at Kate.

“You need sleep.” She slurs, reaching for her hand. Kate wraps her hand around it.

“I can sleep in this chair.” Kate tells her.

Darcy shakes her head and grimaces at the action, “Ugh. That hurts. Come ‘ere.” She mumbles, weakly tugging Kate’s hand. Kate looks at her in confusion.

“Sleep with me.” She attempts to say, although it comes out more like, “Seep ith e.” Kate chuckles a little.

“There’s not room for me to sleep in that bed with you, Darcy.” Darcy frowns and scooches over a little, leaving just enough room for Kate to fit semi-comfortably, and tugs her hand again.

Kate sighs, but gets up and slips in next to Darcy. Darcy lays her head on Kate’s shoulder and rests their joined hands on Kate’s stomach.

Sighing in contentment, Darcy mumbles, “Feels good.” Before falling asleep. Kate smiles, squeezes Darcy’s hand, and closes her eyes.

“It does.” She whispers before falling asleep herself.

* * *

 

The next time Darcy wakes up, Kate wakes up with her.

“Why does it feel like someone hit my head with a bat?” Darcy moans.

Kate moans too, “Because you tried to run in roller skates and your head met the floor.”

Darcy tenses up next to her and slowly opens her eyes. She looks at Kate, waiting for Kate to look at her.

Smiling sheepishly Kate turns to Darcy, “Hi.” She whispers.

“Hi.” Darcy whispers back, “What are doing in my bed?” Darcy asks her.

Kate’s eyes widen and she blushes red.  She makes to sit up, but is stopped by Darcy’s hand.

“I didn’t say that it’s a bad thing.” Darcy assures her, cuddling closer.

Kate blushes even more before laughing, “You coerced me into your bed.”

Darcy’s eyes widen and it’s her turn to blush, “Sorry.” She mumbled, letting go of Kate.

Kate just intertwines her hands with Darcy’s, and smiles softy at her, “It’s okay. I’m content if you are.”

Darcy is silent for a moment.

“I’m not.” She tells Kate.

Kate looks at her confused, “You’re not what?”

Darcy hesitates for a few seconds. “I’m not content.” She says decisively.

Kate looks even more confused.

“I’m not content to be friends with you anymore.” She tells Kate, looking in her eyes determined.

Kate’s face crumples, thinking that maybe Darcy remembers what happened at the rink and doesn’t want to continue their friendship.

“I… Okay.” Kate mumbles, looking anywhere but at Darcy’s face.

“Not like that, you goober!” Darcy exclaims, hitting Kate’s arm.

“Goober?!” Kate asks, shocked.

“I call it like I see it.” Darcy quips smiling.

Kate laughs and opens her mouth to reply, but is cut off by a pair of lush lips slanting over her own. Kate freezes for a second before enthusiastically responding, keeping mind of Darcy’s head injury. Tongues dance lazily, and hands caress reverently. Pulling back to breathe, Kate rests her forehead against Darcy’s.

“Wha- What- What was that?” Kate pants heavily.

Darcy breathes deeply for a minute before responding, “That was me kissing the girl I love.”

Kate’s mouth drops a little, “But… You… You ran away when you found out at the roller rink!” Kate insists, confused.

“Well, you didn’t exactly tell me. And then you weren’t responding to my question and I may have freaked out a little, because I have loved you for like, ever. And I didn’t think you’d ever love me because I’m what, four years older and Wanda is closer to you age, not to mention more your type, plus she’s-“

Lips cut off Darcy’s rambling in a chaste kiss.

“You’re rambling.” Kate mutters against her lips.

Darcy trembles a little before closing her eyes and leaning in to deepen the kiss. Kate pulls back and, instead, kisses her forehead.

“We need to talk, okay?” Kate tells her, looking into her eyes. Darcy nods, her eyes going between looking into Kate’s eyes and staring at her lips.

“So, as you probably remember, I like you. I love you. Have for months now, and you haven’t had a clue, Miss Set-Kate-Up-With-Wanda. What’s up with that anyway? Why set me up with someone else if you like me?” Kate looks at Darcy like she’s crazy.

Darcy sheepishly shrugs and replies, “Just because I like you doesn’t mean you like me or that I have dibs or something. It means, most importantly, that I want you to be happy, would prefer you to be happy with me, but if it’s with someone else, that’s okay too.”

Smiling, Kate kisses Darcy chastely and quickly, “That’s why I like you, silly. You think things like that.”

“Silly?” Darcy asks, laughing.

Kate smiles smugly, “I call it like I see it.”

Darcy rolls her eyes and snuggles up to Kate.

“So, does this mean I’m your girlfriend?” Darcy whispers.

Kate puts her free arm around Darcy and squeezes the hand she’s holding, “Only if it mean I’m your girlfriend too.”

Darcy smiles wide and kisses Kate’s clothed shoulder, “You’re mine.”

“I’m yours.” Kate tells her, staring at her in wonder.

“I’m yours, too.” Darcy repeats, smiling at the words.

“You bet you are.” Kate happily accepts.

* * *

 

“You guys had a bet going concerning our relationship?” Darcy, seemingly uninterested, asks as she passes a bowl of mashed potatoes to Kate.

Avengers and Co., sitting at the table eating dinner, pause and look at the two.

“Who started it?” Kate askes, looking at bit more interested in the potatoes than the conversation.

Tony gulps, looking at Clint.

“Clint.”

“Tony.”

Kate loudly drops the spoon for the potatoes in the bowl.

“Well, which one is it?” Darcy asks, smiling as she cut up her steak with vigor.

“Both of us.”

“Clint.”

“Now, that doesn’t sound like everyone is telling the truth.” Kate says, admonishingly.

“Clint was the one who suggested it!” Tony tattles, pointing at Clint.

“But, Tony was the one who raised the stakes higher and made it an actually betting pool!” Clint yells quickly.

Kate and Darcy smile at them both and it is terrifying.

“Who won?” Darcy questions.

“Natasha and Bucky.” Everyone, beside the two mentioned, answers.

“Oh?” Kate says, smiling at the two, “How much?”

“A Thousand Dollars.” Bucky mumbles, a little scared of the two.

“A piece?” Kate wonders.

“Five-hundred each.” Natasha corrects.

“You bet on the date or the events?” Darcy asks Natasha.

“He bet on the date, I bet on the events.” She replies.

“You bet on me slipping and ending up in the hospital?” Darcy’s eyebrows go up as she stares at Natasha.

Natasha shakes her head, “No, I bet that Clint would make Kate mad and get blamed for something, somehow.”

Kate and Darcy both nod their heads.

“Good. Good.” They two say together.

That was the last it was mentioned, as the two women just went back to eating their dinner, and no one wanted to risk their wrath by bringing it up.

If, a few weeks later, Clint’s arrows were pink and Hello Kitty themed, and Tony’s hair mysteriously turned green, no one mentioned it.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Lovelies! So, this is my first FanFic, ever. I hope I didn't bomb it. I know that every writer always has room for improvement, but I would appreciate feedback!   
> Disclaimer: Anything that looks familiar is not mine.


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